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Do you have a message, but your connection with others, and your business growth, isn’t quite as effective as you had thought it would, or hoped to be?

But you do have a picture, a dream of what you want in and for your business.

You probably have a vision for your 2013 successes. What you’d like to see for your business.

And, you have some of the details about how you want to achieve that vision.

You are working hard, everyday, doing the things you have been told you need to be doing. You might even see it working for others.

But those things are just not working for you! This can be so discouraging!?! Right?

Let me ask you a question: Have you ever wondered what your business, or life, will look like at the same time next year? I often think about that for myself – with hope.

But… how will it feel if you get to the end of 2013 and have EXACTLY the same results you did in 2012?

The reason that your efforts are not working for you when you can see them working for others is that you may be missing a couple of key ingredients:

You need to decide that your Dream Business is going to happen. You are going to do this.

But how?

First take ownership of your actions. Responsibility for your business success is not something you can leave to the ideas of others. No one knows your business and vision the way you do. No one has that excitement, the passion, and understands this better then you.

This is why you must take matters into your own hands.
And, create your…

STRATEGY

Strategy is the ingredient that brings all of the puzzle pieces together and gives them meaning. Strategy helps you build your foundation and have a place to leverage your business. Get noticed in a noisy world. Change your mindset.

Without the strategy, you just have random puzzle pieces. Not really having a method, or knowing how to put the pieces together.

Creating a plan feels like an overwhelming task to even think about. And, once you complete the plan, you might never look at it again. I know this because my first plan for a business was for a Church Conference Center – a huge undertaking.

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming and something you won’t look at again.

Your plan will help you understand what Money Miracle activities you need to do each and every day to change the future of your business.

So many people quit right before they hit the success point in their business. I hope you won’t. Getting your message out, building your Dream Business, depends on you sticking with it. In order to stick with it, you need that strategy, a business map, for your vision.

It’s reality, hitting dreams to move you forward.

I won’t say that it’s all easy. Making big steps towards your dreams sounds great but it means making changes from the way you’re used to doing things.

Your task for today and each day then is to commit to going beyond mediocrity in everything you do.

Have you thought about your next steps and what changes you need to make to implement them?

Do you want to know your customers’ needs better but feel lost in terms of trying to reach them? Do you want to grow your list and thereby grow your company? You’re not alone, yet, many resources that you turn to tell you that you need to “fix” all of the above without telling you how. If you’re like me, advice like that can take your blood pressure from 110 to 260 in a millisecond.

Getting to know your customer’s needs is a process takes time and effort, the very things that business owners struggle against…but, taking the time to explore this now will save you days, months, even years of headaches later.

Let’s start in a place few have considered starting: Let’s begin with you.

Above All Else, Know Thyself

As business owners, we put a lot of time and money into trying to figure out who our customers are, yet many times we haven’t really addressed who we are, what we want, why we want it, how to get it, and when to start.

To get to know your customers, get re-acquainted with yourself. Now you might be saying, “Wha-wha-what? I thought this was about THEM, not ME. I am reminded of the message given to us when we fly: In the event of an emergency, put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others. The fact is, you have to know what’s important to you before you can know what’s important to your potential clients.

By now you might be saying, “I already know myself, but do you?” To better understand yourself:

1. Make a list identifying 5 things that are truly important to you.

2. Now, revisit the list and prioritize it, starting with what’s most important down to what’s least (this is harder to do than it sounds, and you may not want to share it with loved ones in case they did not make it to number one on your list. A friend of mine had this happen and it did not lead to any happy conclusions! This is your list – for you – only–to start.)

3. Revisit the low priorities on the list and determine who can handle them in your place.

4. Revisit the high priorities and break each into doable steps. Be specific about what those steps entail. Don’t just say, “Create project”, but lay each project out onto a flow chart from first contact to last.

5. Focus. Discipline often means unhooking the phone or not checking your emails every five minutes. Schedule a time you’ll check emails and stick to that time frame. Avoid distractions, but do get up and stretch or run in place for 15-second intervals to stimulate your body and brain.

6. Make action your priority. What’s the adage? A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and we can waste a lot of time thinking and not doing. Don’t get me wrong, thinking is important, but thought without action is just thought. And actions are what ultimately generate business.

Now, guess what? Your customers are not that different from you. To get to know your customers, here are 5 key things you can do TODAY that will help you develop strong customer relations.